HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-14-2026 TBID Agenda Packet
Tourism Business Improvement District Board
AGENDA
Thursday, May 14, 2026, 9:00 a.m.
Hotel Cerro 1125 Garden St. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
The Tourism Business Improvement District Board holds in-person meetings. Zoom participation will
not be supported at this time. Attendees of City Council or Advisory Body meetings are eligible to
receive one hour of complimentary parking; restrictions apply, visit Parking for Public Meetings for
more details.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public Comment prior to the meeting (must be received 3 hours in advance of the meeting):
Mail - Delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Address letters to the City Clerk's Office at 990
Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, 93401.
Email - Submit Public Comments via email to advisorybodies@slocity.org. In the body of your
email, please include the date of the meeting and the item number (if applicable). Emails will not
be read aloud during the meeting.
Voicemail - Call (805) 781-7164 and leave a voicemail. Please state and spell your name, the
agenda item number you are calling about, and leave your comment. Verbal comments must be
limited to 3 minutes. Voicemails will not be played during the meeting.
*All correspondence will be archived and distributed to members, however, submissions received
after the deadline may not be processed until the following day.
Public Comment during the meeting:
Meetings are held in-person. To provide public comment during the meeting, you must be
present at the meeting location.
Electronic Visual Aid Presentation. To conform with the City's Network Access and Use Policy,
Chapter 1.3.8 of the Council Policies & Procedures Manual, members of the public who desire
to utilize electronic visual aids to supplement their oral presentation must provide display-ready
material to the City Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting. Contact the City Clerk's
Office at cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781-7114.
Pages
1.CALL TO ORDER
Chair Pearce will call the Special Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement
District Board to order.
2.PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the agenda.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Items raised at this time are
generally referred to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary, may be
scheduled for a future meeting.
3.CONSENT
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON APRIL 8 5
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)11
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT 13
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT 15
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT 19
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
23
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT 31
4.BUSINESS ITEMS
4.a VISIT SAN LUIS OBISPO MARKETING RETREAT
The Board, contractors and staff will engage in a full-day workshop to
discuss strategic initiatives and imperatives that will help develop the
FY2026-28 Marketing & Business Plan.
5.ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board
is scheduled for June 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
LISTENING ASSISTIVE DEVICES are available -- see the Clerk
The City of San Luis Obispo wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible
to the public. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate
alternative formats to persons with disabilities. Any person with a disability who
requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting
should direct such request to the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 781-7114 at least
48 hours before the meeting, if possible. Telecommunications Device for the
Deaf (805) 781-7410.
Agenda related writings or documents provided to the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board are available for public inspection on the City’s
website, under the Public Meeting Agendas web page:
https://www.slocity.org/government/mayor-and-city-council/agendas-and-
minutes. Meeting video recordings can be found on the City’s website:
http://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=61016&dbid=0&repo=CityCl
erk
Page 4 of 39
1
Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes
April 8, 2026, 10:00 a.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
TBID Board Present: Member Mark Eads (arrived at 10:02 a.m.), Member Dante
Specchierla, Vice Chair Lori Keller, Chair Clint Pearce
TBID Board Absent: Member Nipool Patel, Member Prashant Patel
City Staff Present: Economic Development & Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler,
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-
Charlesworth
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement
District Board was called to order on April 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council
Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Pearce.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
Priscilla Esqueda
Olivia Roman
--End of Public Comment--
3. CONSENT
Motion By Vice Chair Keller
Second By Member Specchierla
To approve Consent items 3a to 3g.Ayes (4): Member Eads, Member
Specchierla, Vice Chair Keller, and Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel, and Member Prashant Patel
CARRIED (4 to 0)
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON FEBRUARY 11 AND
MARCH 4, 2026
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORTS (STR)
Page 5 of 39
2
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORTS
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORTS
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORTS
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORTS
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a TOURISM ECONOMICS CO-OP UPDATE (15 MIN)
Member Mark Eads arrived at 10:02 a.m.
Matt Halvorson of Visit SLO CAL presented the findings from the
Economic Impact Study co-op with Tourism Economics.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
4.b PUBLIC RELATIONS & GUEST SERVICES QUARTER REPORT (20
MIN)
Hollie West and Brianna Harris from the SLO Chamber of Commerce
presented the Q3 report and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a PHOENIX MEDIA MISSION (10 MIN)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
presented the staff report and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Page 6 of 39
3
Motion By Vice Chair Keller
Second By Member Specchierla
To approve up to $2,000 in additional expenses for SLO Chamber's
participation from the FY 25-26 tradeshow budget.
Ayes (4): Member Eads, Member Specchierla, Vice Chair Keller, and
Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel and Member Prashant Patel
CARRIED (4 to 0)
Chair Pearce indicated that item 5c would be heard before item 5b.
5.c TBID ANNUAL CONTRACTOR PROPOSALS (30 MIN)
Garret Olson, Brianna Harris and Hollie West from the SLO Chamber of
Commerce presented three tiers of options in the Proposals for Guest
Services and Public Relations for FY 2026-27 and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken at this time.
5.b CONCERTS IN THE PLAZA PROPOSAL (25 MIN)
LeBren Harris, Ali Bailey, Rachel Lackmann and Maggie Kovach from
Downtown SLO presented the Concerts in the Plaza July 3 Block Party
Proposal and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
Autumn Enoch
--End of Public Comment--
To approve the Concerts in the Plaza July 3 Block Party Proposal as
presented.
Motion By Member Specchierla
Second By Chair Pearce
Ayes (3): Member Eads, Member Specchierla, and Chair Pearce
Noes (1): Vice Chair Keller
Page 7 of 39
4
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel and Member Prashant Patel
FAILED (3 to 1)
To approve up to $30,000 from available fund balance for the July 3
Concerts in the Plaza Block Party as presented, with an ask for the City to
evaluate sharing the cost from another funding source.
Motion By Member Eads
Second By Member Specchierla
Ayes (4): Member Eads, Member Specchierla, Vice Chair Keller, and
Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel and Member Prashant Patel
CARRIED (4 to 0)
5.d WHERE THE MUSIC TAKES YOU CO-OP (10 MIN)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
presented the opportunity and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
To approve committing $10,000 from the FY 2025-26 Co-op Marketing
Budget to create an episode with Visit SLO CAL featuring Proxima Parada
and their performance with the SLO Symphony in May 2026.
Motion By Vice Chair Keller
Second By Member Specchierla
Ayes (4): Member Eads, Member Specchierla, Vice Chair Keller, and
Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel, and Member Prashant Patel
CARRIED (4 to 0)
6. TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
Updates were provided to TBID Members via email due to time.
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE
Page 8 of 39
5
6.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.d PCC UPDATE
6.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
6.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:20 p.m. The next regular meeting of the
Tourism Business Improvement District on May 13, 2026, is cancelled. The next
Special Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board is
scheduled for May 14, 2026, at 9 a.m. in the Olive Tree Room at Hotel Cerro,
1125 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.
_________________________
APPROVED BY TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD:
XX/XX/202X
Page 9 of 39
Page 10 of 39
APRIL 2026
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 66.05 69.41 67.01 184.32 189.54 185.86 184.32 189.54 185.86 6.53 1.52 4.87 8.76 2.60 6.47 15.86 4.16 11.65
City of Paso Robles 68.51 75.40 70.48 156.76 220.99 176.39 156.76 220.99 176.39 -5.37 3.10 -2.54 -2.57 2.98 1.18 -7.80 6.17 -1.39
City of Pismo Beach 79.50 83.22 80.57 234.91 307.84 256.44 234.91 307.84 256.44 6.32 4.44 5.61 5.12 8.58 6.58 11.76 13.40 12.56
City of San Luis Obispo 87.83 89.92 88.43 161.07 217.03 177.33 161.07 217.03 177.33 3.09 2.82 2.99 5.68 7.45 6.52 8.95 10.48 9.71
City of Morro Bay 81.19 83.78 81.93 128.56 168.71 140.29 128.56 168.71 140.29 -2.73 0.39 -1.47 -3.89 -0.80 -2.00 -6.51 -0.42 -3.44
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 67.85 77.66 70.65 190.73 217.43 199.11 190.73 217.43 199.11 -5.28 -3.80 -4.84 -0.93 0.20 -0.58 -6.16 -3.61 -5.39
City of Paso Robles 76.96 88.12 80.14 178.08 293.31 214.28 178.08 293.31 214.28 -0.80 -9.96 -3.71 1.18 5.77 2.07 0.37 -4.77 -1.71
City of Pismo Beach 78.72 78.54 78.67 252.79 318.65 271.58 252.79 318.65 271.58 -1.30 -18.87 -6.90 -1.34 6.93 0.24 -2.62 -13.25 -6.68
City of San Luis Obispo 85.31 92.11 87.25 191.55 292.14 221.89 191.55 292.14 221.89 -8.41 -3.93 -7.06 1.17 -3.76 -0.38 -7.34 -7.54 -7.42
City of Morro Bay 76.71 83.88 78.76 133.68 197.09 152.97 133.68 197.09 152.97 -11.09 -12.97 -11.68 -9.54 -2.09 -7.01 -19.57 -14.79 -17.87
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 68.24 78.41 71.14 198.91 216.04 204.30 135.73 169.39 145.35 -0.51 4.47 0.91 9.58 0.05 6.80 9.02 4.53 7.77
City of Paso Robles 65.31 89.11 72.11 169.30 287.45 211.02 110.57 256.14 152.16 -19.03 1.01 -12.75 -5.59 2.93 0.11 -23.56 -23.56 -12.65
City of Pismo Beach 61.23 80.79 66.82 204.86 309.60 241.04 125.43 250.13 161.06 -9.95 10.11 -3.19 0.02 7.92 5.21 -9.93 -9.93 1.86
City of San Luis Obispo 69.40 89.96 75.28 165.05 260.31 197.57 114.55 234.18 148.73 -8.89 15.88 -1.75 4.31 3.20 5.19 -4.96 -4.96 3.34
City of Morro Bay 58.91 87.27 67.01 129.96 197.45 155.07 76.56 172.31 103.92 -11.93 22.39 -1.95 -7.81 2.87 -2.20 -18.80 -18.80 -4.10
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 67.94 77.64 70.71 194.01 205.46 197.60 131.81 159.51 139.72 4.66 4.51 4.61 0.56 1.07 0.73 5.25 5.62 5.38
City of Paso Robles 61.86 80.63 67.22 165.01 276.79 203.32 102.07 223.18 136.67 13.36 2.34 9.60 -0.98 1.61 -0.78 12.25 3.98 8.74
City of Pismo Beach 53.17 75.79 59.63 197.43 294.09 232.53 104.97 222.90 138.66 14.13 -1.76 8.86 5.06 10.29 6.22 19.90 8.34 15.62
City of San Luis Obispo 64.05 87.12 70.64 154.91 242.33 185.71 99.21 211.10 131.18 7.52 8.02 7.68 4.57 3.21 4.08 12.44 11.50 12.08
City of Morro Bay 53.41 83.18 61.92 121.34 198.96 151.13 64.81 165.50 93.58 17.72 6.30 13.74 0.70 4.79 1.68 18.54 11.38 15.65
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 66.82 77.44 69.86 191.65 201.97 194.92 128.06 156.41 136.17 -2.24 -0.30 -1.63 -6.26 0.05 -4.28 -8.36 -0.25 -5.84
City of Paso Robles 57.54 78.71 63.59 166.17 273.47 204.12 95.61 215.25 129.80 -9.36 -10.57 -9.79 1.16 -7.04 -3.08 -8.31 -16.86 -12.57
City of Pismo Beach 54.34 82.70 62.44 202.51 305.79 241.59 110.04 252.88 150.85 -2.40 1.64 -0.93 5.67 11.81 8.88 3.14 13.65 7.86
City of San Luis Obispo 62.23 86.47 69.16 153.79 246.46 186.90 95.71 213.12 129.25 -7.56 0.78 -4.74 1.10 0.54 1.84 -6.55 1.33 -2.99
City of Morro Bay 58.13 86.23 66.16 125.44 217.99 159.90 72.92 187.97 105.79 7.27 5.78 6.71 8.37 7.67 7.81 16.25 13.90 15.04
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR
For the Week of April 26, 2026 to
May 02, 2026
For the Week of April 19, 2026 to
April 25, 2026
For the Week of April 12, 2026 to
April 18, 2026
For the Week of April 05, 2026 to
April 11, 2026
For the Week of March 29, 2026 to
April 04, 2026
Page 11 of 39
Page 12 of 39
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Change +/- to
previous FY
July 508,195$ 541,806$ 591,184$ 636,778$ 699,845$ 761,346$ 844,845$ 877,391$ 861,241$ 884,317$ 913,019$ 530,064$ 1,214,080$ 1,297,863$ 1,245,883$ 1,296,972$ 1,310,543$ 1.05%
August 511,564$ 542,194$ 574,395$ 623,655$ 674,244$ 732,271$ 774,501$ 765,232$ 728,932$ 775,513$ 826,465$ 623,523$ 992,620$ 1,057,478$ 1,037,434$ 1,118,215$ 1,174,918$ 5.07%
September 400,023$ 437,543$ 490,524$ 508,583$ 505,954$ 557,002$ 643,127$ 650,117$ 693,704$ 682,810$ 720,414$ 660,405$ 965,595$ 1,039,589$ 1,024,869$ 935,689$ 952,359$ 1.78%
October 414,870$ 442,586$ 437,805$ 469,977$ 509,435$ 594,032$ 642,221$ 628,049$ 601,208$ 650,101$ 711,393$ 632,733$ 889,485$ 993,400$ 986,681$ 921,418$ 1,083,144$ 17.55%
November 280,913$ 330,924$ 347,437$ 359,163$ 425,769$ 475,360$ 468,016$ 497,162$ 513,487$ 556,885$ 593,403$ 422,488$ 722,487$ 770,599$ 757,010$ 825,128$ 845,440$ 2.46%
December 246,684$ 274,417$ 314,784$ 319,451$ 355,315$ 391,132$ 429,600$ 434,836$ 473,701$ 488,296$ 488,757$ 236,391$ 638,253$ 628,735$ 628,260$ 637,018$ 690,460$ 8.39%
January 230,279$ 256,351$ 276,165$ 302,153$ 331,853$ 400,239$ 387,304$ 396,559$ 415,690$ 465,547$ 520,813$ 302,621$ 557,369$ 554,408$ 621,595$ 696,606$ 732,270$ 5.12%
February 273,373$ 302,246$ 323,359$ 344,160$ 366,980$ 431,510$ 466,915$ 439,735$ 503,451$ 524,327$ 596,021$ 426,144$ 716,045$ 735,450$ 687,480$ 745,586$ 844,332$ 13.24%
March 326,099$ 333,783$ 392,266$ 426,879$ 448,103$ 520,795$ 559,235$ 549,642$ 577,285$ 602,781$ 268,458$ 614,973$ 820,473$ 807,997$ 850,274$ 806,319$ 942,234$ 16.86%missing 2 hotels
April 423,158$ 451,133$ 475,913$ 486,850$ 564,617$ 610,894$ 609,439$ 708,724$ 641,919$ 741,364$ 69,184$ 742,477$ 1,068,408$ 1,056,663$ 1,025,966$ 1,034,160$
May 372,997$ 433,874$ 447,116$ 489,862$ 546,916$ 601,614$ 598,093$ 645,114$ 630,820$ 665,603$ 174,982$ 760,006$ 919,831$ 910,508$ 989,619$ 1,025,327$
June 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 727,028$ 731,038$ 765,362$ 796,899$ 835,727$ 409,945$ 973,975$ 1,100,000$ 1,160,330$ 1,201,226$ 1,317,578$
Total/Average 4,478,481$ 4,859,400$ 5,249,181$ 5,578,460$ 6,059,758$ 6,803,224$ 7,154,334$ 7,357,923$ 7,438,338$ 7,873,272$ 6,292,853$ 6,925,799$ 10,604,646$ 11,013,020$ 11,056,297$ 11,360,016$ 8,575,700$
2024-25 2025-26 Change +/-2024-25 2025-26 Change +/-2024-25 2025-26 Change +/-
July 83.3 81.5 -2.2%203.44$ 203.66$ 0.1%169.32$ 166.07$ -1.9%
August 77.0 78.4 1.8%194.96$ 195.11$ 0.1%150.17$ 152.98$ 1.9%
September 70.0 68.6 -2.0%184.04$ 186.68$ 1.4%128.89$ 128.14$ -0.6%
October 69.3 71.7 3.5%178.25$ 188.88$ 6.0%123.49$ 135.46$ 9.7%
November 66.7 64.9 -2.7%171.07$ 171.69$ 0.4%114.06$ 111.36$ -2.4%
December 59.7 60.1 0.7%146.24$ 147.73$ 1.0%87.35$ 88.76$ 1.6%
January 62.3 61.7 -1.0%144.11$ 145.77$ 1.2%89.82$ 90.01$ 0.2%
February 67.1 70.7 5.4%160.58$ 167.18$ 4.1%107.72$ 118.23$ 9.76%
March 65.7 72.5 10.4%161.64$ 162.88$ 0.8%106.23$ 118.12$ 11.19%
April
May
June
Total/Average 69.01 70.01 1.4%171.59$ 174.40$ 1.6%119.67$ 123.24$ 3.0%Updated: 05/07/2026
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel
Research Report
TOT Comparison
Page 13 of 39
Page 14 of 39
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Public Relations
Contract
Report to the City of San
Luis Obispo – TBID & PCC
April 2026
Page 15 of 39
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Implementation and Proactive Work
Continued planning for travel writer Cassandra Brooklyn's upcoming CCTC Road Trip Pass Fam in
partnership w/Uniquely Driven, Ventura Harbor Village, Visit Santa Barbara & See Monterey
Hosted film writer Drew Taylor in partnership with SLO International Film Festival
Hosted film writer Chris Gore in partnership with SLO International Film Festival
Hosted film writer Christian Zilko in partnership with SLO International Film Festival
Continued planning for Visit SLO CAL Phoenix Media Mission
Continued working with the City and Noble Studios/Uniquely Driven on overall tourism marketing
campaign
2
Responsive Work & Partnerships
Pitched "Tea fit for a queen", "Wellness beyond the spa" and "All are welcome: Pride 2026" to Visit
California
Gave a walking tour of Downtown SLO to Visit SLO CAL Film Scout Fam
Continued to plan for hosting influencer Sam Capaldi in partnership with SLO Wine Mixer team
Began planning for Visit SLO CAL Influencer hosting co-op
Reviewed May social media calendar for Central Coast Tourism Council
Met with Edna SLO PR team
Attended TBID Marketing Retreat planning meeting with Noble Studios, Badger Branding and
Uniquely Driven
Media Features
Proactive Work
Travel + Leisure | This 351-mile Train Route Is One of the Most Beautiful in the U.S.—Passing Small Towns,
Historic Landmarks, and Ocean Views | UVPM: 15,200,024
As a result of hosting Cu Fleshman in summer of 2025 in partnership with Uniquely Driven
The Wrap | Britt Lower and Haley Joel Osment to Receive Craft in Focus Awards From San Luis Obispo
International Film Festival | UVPM: 4,225,235
As a result of hosting Drew Taylor for SLOIFF
Visit California | Greener Ways to Explore California | UVPM: 835,143.00
As a result of responsive pitching
Visit California | Flavors Without Borders | UVPM: 835,143.00
As a result of responsive pitching
Visit California | Where the West Still Lives | UVPM: 835,143.00
As a result of responsive pitching
Page 16 of 39
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Media Features
Media Monitoring
APRIL TOTALS:
Placements: 17
UVPM: 562,223,397
YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:
Placements: 169
UVPM: 4,726,675,876
3
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM
YAHOO ENTERTAINMENT Actor Haley Joel Osment honored with award at SLO
Film Festival 379,895,392.00
USA TODAY World Atlas names 10 best retirement towns in
California. See the list 66,003,204.00
AOL 12 Underrated Destinations In America Perfect For Solo
Tourists, According To Travelers 34,893,502.00
TRAVEL AND TOUR
WORLD
Explore California Differently: New Surfliner Route
Boosts Central Coast Travel 28,473,167.00
TRAVEL AND TOUR
WORLD
Explore the Real America: 12 Lesser-Known Travel
Hotspots Perfect for Adventure, Culture, and Scenic
Beauty
28,473,167.00
ISLANDS 12 Underrated Destinations In America Perfect For Solo
Tourists, According To Travelers 1,829,413.00
FRESNO BEE SLO Film Festival is almost here. See schedule,
tickets, awards, food and more 265,560.00
KSBY Tourism tax revenue hits record high in San Luis Obispo
in 2025 192,113.00
DECORHINT 10 Charming Towns In California That Feels Like Spain,
But Cost Almost Nothing To Explore 80,388.00
DECORHINT We Found The Most Iconic Sandwiches Hiding On A Quiet
California Central Coast 80,388.00
DECORHINT This Classic Drive-In Theater In California Will Take You
Back To The Golden Days 80,388.00
NEW TIMES SLO Master Chorale presents Joseph Haydn’s The
Creation at the PAC in SLO 26,027.00
Page 17 of 39
Page 18 of 39
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Guest Services
Contract
Report to the City of San
Luis Obispo
April 2026
Page 19 of 39
SLO Chamber of Commerce
VISITOR INTERACTION
Apr.
2025
Mar.
2026
Apr.
2026
Walk-Ins 5,090 4,282 4,686
Phone Calls 219 285 132
Email & Digital 1,544 1,905 1,618
2
CALLS TO 877-SLO-TOWN
Apr.
2025
Mar.
2026
Apr.
2026
Calls 40 21 33
HOTEL REFERRALS
Apr.
2025
Mar.
2026
Apr.
2026
Referrals 52 45 48
HOTEL AVAILABILITY TRACKER
Apr.
2025
Mar.
2026
Apr.
2026
Email 72 76 92
Phone Calls 78 112 121
INFORMATION REQUESTS
Apr.
2025
Mar.
2026
Apr.
2026
Fullfilled 34 0 0
EVENTS SHARED
Apr.
2026 YTD
VisitSLO.com 29 114
DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT
International Travelers
Asia 3%
Europe 38%
Middle East 0%
Australia/NZ 8%
UK 31%
North America 15%
Central America 0%
South America 5%
Africa 0%
Domestic Travelers
West Coast 20%
Southwest 11%
Midwest 33%
South 15%
East Coast 22%
California Travelers
Northern CA 37%
Central Coast 40%
Central Valley 3%
Desert 1%
Southern CA 19%
Page 20 of 39
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Other Highlights
3
Open House
The Visitor Center took a trip to Cal
Poly to connect with our newest
group of families during Open House
Weekend! Over our 2 days on
campus, we were able to answer
general questions, recommend
hotels, and encourage them to
explore the SLO community they are
now apart of.
Our Chamber team joined with Jacqui from the
City to give Cal Poly students in the Experience
Industry Management major a look into our local
tourism efforts. We discussed the role of our
TBID and PCC advisory bodies, how tourism
impacts our local economy, and the value of
strategic partnerships to support both our local
and tourism initiatives.
Guest Quote of the Month
“I tend to skip over the Central Coast but I’m glad I chose to
stay here because this is such a special place. My family
couldn’t come with me this trip but I have to bring them
next time. They would love it here.”
Avid traveler from Boise, Idaho who came here for the SLO
International Film Festival and left with a new favorite
hotel, coffee shop, and ghost tour story.
Cal Poly EIM Field Trip
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SLO Marketing Activities Report
Key Performance Highlights
April 2026
At-a-Glance Highlights
● Total Website Sessions: 110,627 (+50% YoY)
● Top Traffic Source: Paid Social
● Total Lodging Referrals: 6,131 (+23% YoY)
● Top Performing Ads by CTR on Meta:
○ SLC | Remarketing | Video | Intro | Long Form (6.69%)
○ SLC | Remarketing | Video | Sustainability | Long Form (6.58%)
○ SLC | Remarketing | Video | MidWeekend | Long Form (6.25%)
● Earned Media Reach (from Uniquely Driven PR Efforts): 44,372,105
○ 4 national placements secured, most notable was inclusion in a Travel +
Leisure article “This 351-mile Train Route Is One of the Most Beautiful in the
U.S.—Passing Small Towns, Historic Landmarks, and Ocean Views” which
was syndicated across Yahoo and AOL.
FYTD KPI Performance
Expected Pace through April: 83%
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Overall Performance Summary
Overall website traffic to VisitSLO.com has jumped 50%, driven largely by a 50% YoY
increase in paid media budget for the month. The increase in paid media budget, in
conjunction with paid media efficiencies gained from strong campaign performance,
has helped to grow overall traffic and lodging referrals despite softening of organic
search traffic.
Even though organic traffic has declined YoY, key website performance metrics continue
to rise indicating more engaged users. Lodging Referrals from organic sources are up
10% YoY.
Hotel Referrals is our primary KPI in regard to performance as it indicates high booking
intent. To date, Hotel Referrals are pacing 84% towards our fiscal year goal (expected
pacing is 83%). So while traffic is slightly behind our goal, Hotel Referrals continue to
maintain expected pace.
We are continuing to implement new creative assets for the SLO Life Coach campaign,
including the new short-form video cutdowns on select paid channels while featuring
the full-length videos on our paid landing pages and across other organic pages on the
site. We will also be rolling out the new SLO Life Tips short-form videos to drive further
brand awareness and consideration in upper and mid-funnel channels over the next
few weeks.
With the injection budget, we took a look at which campaigns were providing lodging
referrals and utilized the increased budget on those campaigns. We saw a significant lift
in paid search, display, demand gen, and PMAX lodging referrals as a result.
Website
● Total Website Sessions: 110,627 (+50% YoY)
● Total Lodging Referrals: 6,131 (+23% YoY)
● Avg. Pages/Session: 2.35 (+21% YoY)
● Average Session Duration: 3m 02s (+48% YoY)
● Top Lodging Referral Channels: Paid Search, Organic Search and Google
Demand Generation and Performance Max
Paid Media Snapshot
● Paid Search
○ Sessions: 7,349 (+35% YoY)
○ Impressions: 66,928 (+32% YoY)
○ Clicks: 7,330 (+36% YoY)
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○ CTR: 10.95% (+2.7% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 4,011 (+40% YoY)
○ Cost: $20,581 (+31% YoY)
● Paid Social
○ Sessions: 28,989 (+59% YoY)
○ Impressions: 2.5M (+62% YoY)
○ Clicks: 60.0K (+46% YoY)
○ CTR: 2.46% (-10% YoY)
○ Total Referrals: 14 (-77% YoY)
○ Cost: $22.9K (+46% YoY)
● Display, Demand Gen, & PMAX
○ Sessions: 21,332 (+169% YoY)
○ Impressions: 1.3M (-24% YoY)
○ Clicks: 23,189 (+12% YoY)
○ CTR: 1.76% (+48% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 496 (+140% YoY)
○ Cost: $13,997 (+114% YoY)
● Demand Gen | Video
○ Sessions: 835 (-27% PoP)
○ Impressions: 84,825 (-34% PoP)
○ Clicks: 1,170 (-26% YoY)
○ CTR: 1.38% (+12% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 5
○ Cost: $1,236 (-44% YoY)
Key Insight: Our Q4 budget injection has helped us boost our sessions and overall
partner referrals by more than 130% over last year. We strategically reviewed our
campaigns and increased the budget for the ones generating the most lodging
referrals, helping us drive performance gains. We will continue to optimize and refresh
campaigns for optimal performance.
Owned Channel Snapshot
SEO + Content
● Organic Search Sessions: 18,501 (-7% YoY)
● Organic Search Partner Referrals: 3,855 (+10% YoY)
● Organic Search Impressions: 1.79 Mil (+0.1% YoY)
● Organic Search Clicks: 13.2K (-15% YoY)
● Organic Search CTR: 0.74% (-15% YoY)
● Page 1 Keywords: 7.1K (+18% YoY)
● Sessions from LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc): 133 (+82% YoY)
● Partner Referrals from LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc): 30 (+114% YoY)
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● Top Impression Gains: Hearst Castle, San Luis Obispo weather, destination
wedding, high street deli, nates on marsh
● Top Click Losses: things to do in San Luis Obispo, things to do in SLO, slo earth fest,
slo movie theater
Key Takeaway: The organic session decline improved from -8.5% in March to -7% in
April, showing that VisitSLO.com continues to stabilize against the AI search shifts. While
we saw an increase in Page 1 keywords, Organic Clicks (-15%) and CTR (-15%) are down.
This is largely due to Google AI Overviews and new SERP features answering broad
queries (like "things to do in SLO") directly on the search page. We are seeing a shift from
broad discovery (where you are losing clicks) to niche intent and AI-driven discovery
(where you are gaining ground). Most importantly, while sessions dipped, organic
partner referrals increased 10% YoY, proving that the users who do click through are
further down the planning funnel and ready to engage in more trip planning behaviors.
Despite the broader decline in traditional organic clicks, Visit SLO has established itself in
the new era of AI-driven search:
● AI Share of Mind: Visit SLO is the clear market leader in AI visibility, capturing 34%
of brand citations and 32% of brand mentions.
● Citation Stability: AI Overview opportunities saw a decrease from March to April
while ranking URLs remained relatively flat, signaling that we continue to have a
"stable foothold" in AI results despite the volatility of the general search market.
● Explosive AI Traffic Growth: Sessions from LLMs are up 82% and partner referrals
from LLMs up 114%.
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Email Marketing
While we saw a 60% drop in sessions and 40% drop in lodging referrals from our
consumer email sent in April, the decrease was due to sending less emails YoY (sent 1
email in April 2026 vs. 3 in April 2025).
● Despite sending two fewer emails, Session Conversion Rate actually increased by
2% YoY to 4.49%, and users are staying 10% longer (53 seconds) per session.
● Last year’s campaigns for the Midweek Capital Announcement and Middle Name
Giveaway likely drove a higher volume of "curiosity clicks." This year's single email
focused on National Bike Month and the SLO Film Fest.
● Emails Sent: 1
● Avg. Open Rate: 45% (15.70% Benchmark)
● Avg. Click Rate: 1.3% (1.6% Benchmark)
● Total Sessions: 557 (-60% YoY)
● Total Partner Referrals: 86 (-38% YoY)
● Total Lodging Referrals: 50 (-40% YoY)
● Session Conversion Rate: 4.49% (+2% YoY)
● Engagement Rate: 42.55% (-21% YoY)
● Average Engagement Time Per Session: 53s (+10% YoY)
● Page Views Per Session: 1.57 (-25% YoY)
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Web Maintenance & Creative
MRO Services
Proactive maintenance of VisitSLO.com, during April key activities included:
● Updates to website software and plugins:
○ advanced-custom-fields-pro: 6.7.1 → 6.8.0.1
○ enable-media-replace: 4.1.8 → 4.1.9
○ gravityforms: 2.9.29 → 2.10.0
○ the-events-calendar: 6.15.17.1 → 6.15.20 (maintenance: list/day view 404
and pagination fixes)
○ the-events-calendar-community-events: 5.0.14 → 5.0.15
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○ tiny-compress-images: 3.6.12 → 3.6.13
○ wp-mail-smtp: 4.7.1 → 4.8.0
○ wordpress-seo: 27.1.1 → 27.4
○ WordPress core: 6.8.5 → 6.9.4
Website Services
● April Website Services Efforts:
○ 5h out of 120h were used for April 2026
■ Remaining hours: 0
○ Event Filter fix + QC
Creative Services
● April Creative Services Efforts:
○ 6h out of 150 hours were utilized for April 2026
■ Remaining hours: 97
○ Ad Feedback + Poster Adjustments
Earned Media Activity
Earned Media Highlights
Total Impressions/Circulation: 44,372,105
Placements: 4
Press Coverage
● 4/6/26: Islands: America's 11 Best College Towns With Mountain Views (Kate
Mothes) (Reach: 1,829,413)
● 4/19/26: Travel + Leisure: This 351-mile Train Route Is One of the Most Beautiful in
the U.S.—Passing Small Towns, Historic Landmarks, and Ocean Views (Cu
Fleshman) (Reach: 11,189,213)
○ Yahoo News Malaysia & Yahoo Travel (Reach: 544,651)
○ AOL (Reach: 30,808,828)
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April 2026
SLO TBID - SHARESLO
ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
Date: 05/13/26Page 31 of 39
Followers: 43,842 ( 1.7%)
Total Net Growth: 319
Total Posts: 260
Total Views: 376,191 ( 57%)
Total stories: 243
Total Engagements: 5,474 ( 33%)
Engagement Rate: 1.5% ( 55%)
INSTAGRAM
In April, we saw an increase in followers by 319 new users! Our engagement rate also increased this month. Our views and
engagements decreased this month due to March having multiple highly successful reels that our numbers are being compared
to. We remain happy with the performance on this platform.
TOP POSTS:
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Page Followers: 108,835 ( .5%)
Total Net Audience Growth: 501
Total Posts: 14
Total Impressions: 2,579,339 ( 9%)
Total Organic: 279,741 ( 98%)
Total Engagements: 5,846 ( 21%)
Engagement Rate: .2% ( 0%)
Video Views: 441,459 ( 76%)
FACEBOOK
TOP POSTS:
In April, we saw a pretty successful month. Our audience grew by 501 new followers, our impressions slightly decreased by
9%, but our organic impressions increased by 98%. Our engagements and video views also increased.
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Followers: 3,319 ( 1.8%)
Followers Gained: 61
Impressions: 12,604 ( 19%)
Engagement: 508 ( 23%)
Engagement Rate: 4% ( 5%)
In April, all posts got average performance. We did garner 61 new followers and got average views across the board on all the tik
toks we posted. We will continue to repurpose IG reels on this platform.
TIKTOK
TOP POSTS:
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Total Audience: 539 ( 1.1%)
Total Net Growth: 7
Total Posts: 4
Impressions: 308 ( 3.8%)
Engagements: 5 ( 80%)
Engagement Rate: 62.5% ( 707%)
LINKEDIN
In April, our engagements decreased by 80%, although the previous month they increased by 108%, so this decrease was
anticipated. Impressions only decreased slightly and our engagement rate increased substantially due to the low
engagements reported.
TOP POSTS:
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Impressions: 7k ( 1.4%)
Engagements: 390 ( 16%)
Outbound Clicks: 2
Saves: 118 ( 6.3%)
Total Audience: 3.95k ( 8%)
Engaged Audience: 275 ( 9%)
In April, we saw a very slight decrease in impressions. We saw an increase in all other analytics for the month. We will
continue to mirror from IG to this platform since seeing the success over this past year.
PINTEREST
TOP POSTS:
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WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH:
- BBQ in SLO Reel (145k Views)
- Earth Month / Earth Day Reel (14.3k Views)
- 3 Ticket Tuesdays
- Blues Baseball x Quality Suites (7.7k Views)
- Sip n Saunter x Downtown SLO (16k Views)
- SLO Symphony x Proxima Parada (5.7k Views)
- Successful Trend / Trending Content
- Summer Feeling (4.2k Views)
- Congratulations (5k Views)
- Picture Perfect SLO Reel (30.8k Views)
- Work From SLO Reel (14.8k Views)
- Upcoming Events Reel (39.2k Views)
- SLO Life Coach & SLO Life Tip Reel & Stories
- Events Highlight Updated Weekly / PR Placements Shared in Stories
- Proximity to Beaches Reel (30.9k Views)
- 7 Invited Collabs w/ @downtownslo, @lunaredrestaurant, @slosymphony, etc. Page 37 of 39
MAY’S FOCUS:
- Bike Month
- Ticket Tuesday Collaborations w/
- Blues Baseball
- Pink Drank
- Mother’s Day Reel
- Cinco de Mayo / Happy Hours Reel
- Local’s Guide to SLO Interview Reel
- Places to Dance in SLO Reel
- Upcoming Events Reel
- Celebrate Small Business Week in SLO
- SLO Life Tips
- Spring Season
- Spring Patios
- Flower Markets
- New Businesses in SLO Page 38 of 39
THANK YOU!
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